I have an appointment to see an orthopedist on Monday but wanted to get your input on this. I was on vacation with the family at a dude ranch in Bandera this past week. After dinner and a few beers, I entered a jumprope contest after succumbing to my kids begging me to enter it. Jumping rope is usually not an issue for me since I used to workout with a speed rope. During the contest, I felt a definite pop at the base of my left calf after which I gracefully bowed out of the contest and hobbled back to my seat. The rest of that evening and the next day, I had to limp around the ranch. I earned the nickname "Hopalong" from one of the ranch hands. Since then, I can walk with just a slight limp but still have pain if I make a misstep and I can feel some pain down to my achilles tendon. By the end of each day, my ankle is usually swollen. Like I said, I have an appointment with an orthopedist on Monday but wanted to get some input from you as a fellow cyclist. Man it sure stinks getting old!!!

It sounds like either a muscle tear or a partial rupture of a tendon. Do see you orthopedic doctor to get things sorted out. If the physical exam does not point to the lesion, your doctor may order an MRI of your lower leg. You likely require some rest and then Physical Therapy. Let me know what the Ortho Doc has to say what the cause is.

The orthopedist diagnosed it as a torn tendon at the base of my calf muscle. I don't recall the name of the tendon. He said 6-8 weeks for a full recovery and said to wait at least another week before I try to get out and do some light riding. He said being over 40, I need to start stretching my calf muscles at least five times a day for five minutes at a time. He said this is especially important since I have pulled my calf muscles in the past and they will not stretch out as easily. Like I said before, it stinks getting older.